This invention pertains to axial flow combines in which a header is provided on the forward end of a mobile combine to cut and consolidate agricultural material to be delivered to threshing rotors and concaves in combines by means of an elevating conveyor extending between the header and the forward ends of the threshing means. The elevator delivers the cut material longitudinally upwardly and rearwardly to the forward end of the rotors and concaves. The elevating movement is in a longitudinal direction, while the rotors move the material laterally relative to the longitudinal feed direction and in tough long straw conditions, such as rice, tend to twist the material into spiral, somewhat rope-like configurations, which tend to render the operation of the threshing apparatus more burdensome and difficult because of such spiral configurations of the material.
In the preferred form of the invention, the forward ends of the rotors also are provided with augers to facilitate the feeding of the material from the delivery end of the elevating conveyor to the forward ends of the rotors which are in the nature of bearing rotors, and the concaves are in the form of concave grates, having ribs and perforations of conventional type. The provision of such augers, whether of uniform diameter or conical, accentuates the problem of the change in feeding direction from longitudinal to lateral, or spiral, forming the material into twisted or spiral rope-like configurations. This problem exists in many types of axial flow combines currently in use and developed heretofore. Certain attempts have been made to solve the aforementioned problem, as exemplified in the following prior U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,087,953, to Wilson et al, dated May 9, 1978, discloses an axial flow combine in which an upwardly and rearwardly extending auger is employed instead of an endless elevator type of conveyor, and a feeder beater having a transverse axis adjacent the inlet end of the auger appears to assist in spreading out the material delivered to the auger which, in turn, delivers the material to the inlet end of the rotor of the combine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,821, to Peiler et al, dated Dec. 11, 1979, also uses an auger elevating member similar to that in the Wilson et al patent, discussed above, and in an effort to somewhat disintegrate the material delivered from the upper end of the auger to the rotor, the forward end of the rotor is provided with rows of spaced angular vanes circumferentially spaced around the exterior of the inlet end of the rotor, as well as along the main body thereof in an effort to spread out the material as it is engaged by the rotor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,024, to Powell et al, dated June 24, 1980, shows an axial flow combine more similar to the present invention than the above discussed patents, and in which an endless conveyor feeds the material from a header to the inlet end of an auger on the forward end of the rotor, and a rotary beater, having a transverse axis is disposed between the delivery end of the endless elevator and the auger on the rotor, the beater operating at a higher tangential velocity than the feeder elevator to direct and accelerate the crop material along the sloping ramp beneath the beater for purposes of entraining the crop material in an arcuate, ribbon-like manner. It is to be noted that such beater requires additional power to operate the same, thereby adding somewhat to the complexity of the structure of the combine.
The present invention has been devised to provide very simple and highly effective means to solve the aforementioned problem of the formation of spiral, rope-like configurations induced by the changing of the longitudinal movement of the oncoming material to lateral movement effected by the rotation of the rotor and/or the auger on the forward end thereof, details of the invention being set forth in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.